Opinion + Thailand | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/commentisfree+world/thailand
model.DotcomContentType$TagIndex$@40f58a88en-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2018Thu, 22 Feb 2018 07:27:56 GMT2018-02-22T07:27:56Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2018The Guardianhttps://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttps://www.theguardian.com
The Observer view on corruption, repression and violence threatening fragile democracies | Observer editorialhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/27/observer-view-on-corruption-south-east-asia
The populations of Malaysia, Thailand and Burma are increasingly suffering under their leaders<p>Malaysia, Thailand and Burma are all suffering a backwards slide from the basic standards expected of modern-day representative democracies. While the reasons vary, the results are similar: growing public unrest, increased state repression, negative economic effects, weakened institutions and reputational damage.</p><p>Malaysia vividly exemplifies these phenomena. The former British colony has never been a faultless democracy. The United Malays National Organisation, representing the ethnic Malay majority, has held power since independence in 1957. The mostly non-Muslim, ethnic Chinese and&nbsp;Indian minorities, whose ancestors were shipped in by the British as cheap labour, have suffered historical discrimination, yet this furore has little to do with history, race or religion. It is about probity in government – which appears to be sorely lacking.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/27/observer-view-on-corruption-south-east-asia">Continue reading...</a>MalaysiaAsia PacificWorld newsMyanmarSouth and Central AsiaThailandSun, 27 Nov 2016 00:05:45 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/27/observer-view-on-corruption-south-east-asiaPhotograph: Mohd Rasfan/AFP/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Mohd Rasfan/AFP/Getty ImagesObserver editorial2016-11-27T00:05:45ZIn Thailand, royalists’ vision of the late king still reigns | Pravit Rojanaphrukhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/17/thailand-royalists-king-bhumibol-adulyadej-died
<p>Reverence for Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died last week after 70 years on the throne, is enforced – and dissenting voices face severe penalties</p><p>Being a royalist in Thailand can be emotionally comforting. You can join millions of like-minded subjects who venerate King Bhumibol Adulyadej. You feel like a member of a gigantic family, as the king is often referred to by these loyal subjects as their “royal father”.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/16/the-guardian-view-on-the-death-of-king-bhumibol-adulyadej-a-nation-can-be-renewed">The Guardian view on the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej: a nation can be renewed | Editorial</a> </p><p>Beyond the media sphere, royalist vigilante pressure for all to wear black to mourn is growing</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/17/thailand-royalists-king-bhumibol-adulyadej-died">Continue reading...</a>ThailandAsia PacificWorld newsFreedom of speechMon, 17 Oct 2016 13:22:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/17/thailand-royalists-king-bhumibol-adulyadej-diedPhotograph: Kurtz/ZUMA Wire/REX/ShutterstockPhotograph: Kurtz/ZUMA Wire/REX/ShutterstockPravit Rojanaphruk2016-10-17T13:22:01ZThe Guardian view on the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej: a nation can be renewed | Editorialhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/16/the-guardian-view-on-the-death-of-king-bhumibol-adulyadej-a-nation-can-be-renewed
The Thai monarchy sits atop an extremely hierarchical and unequal society. This must change<p>As King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s black-clad subjects embark upon a year of mourning, they are marking not only the passing of a widely revered ruler but also that of an era. He inherited the throne as an 18-year-old <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/13/king-bhumibol-adulyadej-obituary">who had never expected to become Thailand’s leader</a> and had not even grown up there, yet Bhumibol ruled for longer than any other contemporaneous monarch. After seven decades, he seemed the one constant in a nation that transformed itself economically and continued to struggle politically through multiple coups and outbursts of popular discontent.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/16/thailand-crown-prince-king-bhumibol-adulyadej">Thailand's crown prince to delay ascension to throne after father's death</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/16/the-guardian-view-on-the-death-of-king-bhumibol-adulyadej-a-nation-can-be-renewed">Continue reading...</a>ThailandAsia PacificWorld newsSun, 16 Oct 2016 18:53:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/16/the-guardian-view-on-the-death-of-king-bhumibol-adulyadej-a-nation-can-be-renewedPhotograph: Athit Perawongmetha/ReutersPhotograph: Athit Perawongmetha/ReutersEditorial2016-10-16T18:53:00ZI'm a pro-democracy activist. Is that why Thailand chose to deport me?https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/07/thailand-joshua-wong-deportation-hong-kong-demosisto
<p>It seems that the Thai government feels it has much to fear from youth movements that promote democracy, such as mine in Hong Kong<br></p><p>My flight touched down at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport without any problems, at about midnight on 5 October. I had been invited to share my experiences of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/10/hong-kongs-umbrella-movement-spawns-new-political-party-demosisto">Hong Kong’s umbrella movement</a> at two universities in Bangkok and to talk about becoming a young politician. </p><p>But as I left the plane, I started to feel paranoid that officials at the immigration counter might take me away and deport me back to Hong Kong on the very same flight. A strange feeling came over me. I could see more staff than usual ahead of me. But there was nowhere else to go. When I stepped on to the bridge leading off the plane, I saw a crowd of immigration police. I knew something was wrong.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/07/thailand-joshua-wong-deportation-hong-kong-demosisto">Continue reading...</a>Hong KongThailandCivil liberties - internationalHuman rightsChinaAsia PacificLawWorld newsFri, 07 Oct 2016 14:12:45 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/07/thailand-joshua-wong-deportation-hong-kong-demosistoPhotograph: Kin Cheung/APPhotograph: Kin Cheung/APJoshua Wong2016-10-07T14:12:45ZThe Guardian view on press freedom: the need for constant vigilance | Editorialhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/14/the-guardian-view-on-press-freedom-the-need-for-constant-vigilance
From Turkey to El Salvador, Asia to the Americas, the best journalists fight to hold a mirror to the world. They deserve our gratitude, and need our support<p>The news about the news is grim. In Turkey, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/06/the-guardian-view-on-the-turkish-crackdown-on-the-media-unjustified-and-undemocratic">notorious for cracking down on the media</a> long before July’s attempted coup, authorities have closed more than 130 outlets and issued warrants for 89 reporters and other media workers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2016/jul/19/erdogans-crackdown-hes-becoming-a-dictator-video">since the coup a month ago</a>; 17 journalists have been charged with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/30/turkish-correspondent-tweets-arrests-of-42-journalists-in-turkey">membership of a terror group</a>. The journalist Can Dündar, facing six years in prison for reporting allegations of arms sales to Syrian rebel forces, is a recipient of one of this year’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/18/can-dundar-international-press-freedom-award-turkey-syria">International Press Freedom awards</a> from the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, together with journalists from Egypt, El Salvador and India.</p><p>In China, where the Communist party has always determined which news is fit to print, authorities have ordered internet portals to abandon original reporting on political or social topics because of its “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/26/china-seeks-to-eradicate-vile-effect-of-independent-journalism">extremely vile effect</a>”. There are growing concerns, too, about the editorial independence of papers in Hong Kong, which has historically enjoyed <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/25/south-china-morning-post-china-influence-hong-kong-newspaper-confession">far more freedom than the mainland</a>. Its chief executive has just appointed his dentist, a man who described editorial independence as “mythologised”, to chair the <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1999747/i-dont-feel-isolated-hong-kong-chief-executive-leung-chun">public broadcaster’s board of advisers</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/14/the-guardian-view-on-press-freedom-the-need-for-constant-vigilance">Continue reading...</a>Press freedomJournalist safetyNewspapersNewspapers & magazinesMediaSyriaMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsChinaAsia PacificHong KongUS press and publishingUkraineEuropeThailandUS newsBurundiAfricaSun, 14 Aug 2016 16:54:49 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/14/the-guardian-view-on-press-freedom-the-need-for-constant-vigilancePhotograph: Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty ImagesEditorial2016-08-14T16:54:49ZThe Guardian view on Thailand: The military is in control – but for how long? | Editorialhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/12/the-guardian-view-on-thailand-the-military-is-in-control-but-for-how-long
Bombings highlight some of the pressures bubbling under the surface in the kingdom<p>Even as victims underwent treatment and the debris was being swept up, Thai authorities were quick to state that they were in control after multiple explosions killed at least four and injured dozens on Thursday night and Friday morning. The attacks did not amount to terrorism but merely “local sabotage … restricted to limited areas and provinces”, police said.</p><p>Control is, after all, the junta’s raison d’etre. The military says its 2014 coup was necessary to end unrest and “return happiness” to Thailand after a cycle of mass protests and violence. Last week, the public approved a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/07/thailand-votes-in-favour-of-military-backed-constitution" title="">new constitution</a>, which in theory paves the way for elections and tackles corruption but, notably, entrenches military power and institutionalises impunity for abuses. Officials have hinted that political opponents could be to blame for the bombings – and some analysts think so too, citing the timing: just after the constitution vote and on the eve of the queen’s birthday. Others <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-37059508" title="">are less sure</a>, suggesting that links to a long-running southern insurgency cannot be ruled out and that the military is bound to play down a terrorist threat which could damage tourism – two resorts were hit – and to paint its critics in the worst possible colours. So far, details of the bombing do not offer a natural fit with either explanation and other theories (perhaps a conflict within the elite) cannot be excluded.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/12/the-guardian-view-on-thailand-the-military-is-in-control-but-for-how-long">Continue reading...</a>ThailandFri, 12 Aug 2016 18:33:15 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/12/the-guardian-view-on-thailand-the-military-is-in-control-but-for-how-longPhotograph: Dario Pignatelli/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Dario Pignatelli/Getty ImagesEditorial2016-08-12T18:33:15ZMy job is to ask refugees about their journey. It's so awful I've run out of words to describe it | Keane Shumhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/08/my-job-is-to-ask-refugees-about-their-journey-its-so-awful-ive-run-out-of-words-to-describe-it
<p>A year ago, three-year-old Shahira Bibi died when her family was abandoned at sea after escaping Myanmar by boat. We can make sure her death was not in vain<br></p><p>Shahira Bibi is the one I can never forget, her little body wrapped in black fabric on a concrete bench in a morgue in Aceh, Indonesia. She was three years old, but weighed no more than a six-month-old infant. After her family was abandoned at sea with no food or water, Shahira Bibi fell ill with tetanus. She and her mother and older sister had spent months floating across the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, hoping to make it from their home in Rakhine state, Myanmar, to what they thought was the promised land: Malaysia.</p><p>More than 170,000 people are estimated to have attempted this journey since 2012, leaving Myanmar or Bangladesh on fishing trawlers modified to cram hundreds of men, women, and children like Shahira Bibi into their holds, above deck, anywhere anyone can fit. My job is to ask refugees about their journeys and write reports about these <a href="https://unhcr.atavist.com/mmm2015">mixed maritime movements</a> – “mixed” because they include both refugees and migrants – but the passage is so awful I have run out of words to describe it. There is only enough room to squat for weeks on end. No one gets more than one bowl of rice and one cup of water per day. The toilet is a couple wooden planks resting on iron bars welded to the side of the boat – the <em>out</em>side.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/08/papua-new-guinea-police-shoot-at-students-during-march">Papua New Guinea: four students reported dead after police open fire on march</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/20/resettling-refugees-in-papua-new-guinea-a-tragic-theatre-of-the-absurd">Resettling refugees in Papua New Guinea: a tragic theatre of the absurd | David Fedele</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/08/my-job-is-to-ask-refugees-about-their-journey-its-so-awful-ive-run-out-of-words-to-describe-it">Continue reading...</a>RefugeesMalaysiaAsia PacificWorld newsThailandMyanmarWed, 08 Jun 2016 02:23:48 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/08/my-job-is-to-ask-refugees-about-their-journey-its-so-awful-ive-run-out-of-words-to-describe-itPhotograph: Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty ImagesKeane Shum2016-06-08T02:23:48ZThailand is turning into Juntaland – and we are resistinghttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/05/thailand-juntaland-military
<p>I have been detained and banned from travelling abroad for challenging militarisation. Those who refuse to kowtow to Thailand’s junta are paying the price</p><p>Deep down, Thailand’s military junta leaders are probably aware that they are illegitimate. They’ve become increasingly paranoid and repressive in their crackdown against any form of resistance – both online and offline.<br></p><p>On 30 March, the self-styled <a draggable="true" href="http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21611133-economy-stumbles-junta-has-image-problem-peace-order-stagnation">National Council for Peace and Order</a> (NCPO), or the Thai junta that <a draggable="true" href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/22/thailand-army-chief-announces-military-coup">staged a coup on 22 May 2014</a> and robbed the rights of millions of voters, told me on the phone that they would not permit me to travel to Helsinki to attend the Unesco-organised World Press Freedom Day.<br tabindex="-1"></p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/22/thailand-thaksin-shinawatra-draft-constitution-is-charade">Ousted Thai PM says junta's draft constitution is a charade</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/30/thai-woman-charged-with-sedition-over-photo-of-provocative-red-bowl">Thai woman charged with sedition over photo of 'provocative' red bowl</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/05/thailand-juntaland-military">Continue reading...</a>ThailandAsia PacificWorld newsHuman rightsTue, 05 Apr 2016 15:47:52 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/05/thailand-juntaland-militaryPhotograph: Wason Wanichakorn/APPhotograph: Wason Wanichakorn/APPravit Rojanaphruk2016-04-05T15:47:52ZGruesome adverts capture our attention, but do they have any effect? | Arwa Mahdawihttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/30/gruesome-adverts-capture-attention-thai-sugar
A new Thai advert warning of the dangers of sugar will stick in the memory of viewers. Whether it changes their behaviour is a different matter<p>Bad news, I’m afraid. If you <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/mar/22/obesity-smoking-action-sugar-tax" title="">eat too much sugar</a>, abscesses will appear in your feet, your flesh will turn into sponge cake, and your blood will become lumpy strawberry jam. You will develop hundreds and thousands of colourful scabs. Your leg will be amputated. You will get gangrene and die. Your last words will be “I wish I had eaten a more balanced diet.”</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/23/mark-rylance-bottom-oceans-celebs-overfishing-fishlove">It’s nice to see Mark Rylance’s bottom. But our oceans deserve better | Arwa Mahdawi</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/mar/22/obesity-smoking-action-sugar-tax">Obesity is the new smoking. So let’s treat it as such</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/30/gruesome-adverts-capture-attention-thai-sugar">Continue reading...</a>AdvertisingDiabetesSugarThailandSocietyAsia PacificWorld newsMediaWed, 30 Mar 2016 14:31:49 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/30/gruesome-adverts-capture-attention-thai-sugarPhotograph: Ogilvy Bangkok/Diabetic Association of ThailandPhotograph: Ogilvy Bangkok/Diabetic Association of ThailandArwa Mahdawi2016-03-30T14:31:49ZThis absurd dog story augurs ill for Thailand’s future | Pavin Chachavalpongpunhttps://www.theguardian.com/global/commentisfree/2015/dec/17/thailand-royal-dog-prosecution
The prosecution of a man for remarks made about the king’s pet dog makes a mockery of human rights and the Thai royal family itself<p>Absurdity continues to rule Thailand, with <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/15/thai-man-faces-jail-insulting-kings-dog-sarcastic-internet-post" title="">a man facing jail for insulting a dog</a>. Thanakorn Siripaiboon’s crime was to make a sarcastic comment on Facebook about Khun Thongdaeng, a much-loved street mongrel who was rescued by King Bhumibol Adulyadej over a decade ago. Thanakorn, who has also been accused of sedition for sharing allegations of corruption in a military construction project, was charged with lese-majesty for his remark about the dog, taking ludicrousness to new heights as Thailand approaches the end of the Bhumibol era.</p><p>Lese-majesty, or the crime of injury to royalty, is defined by article 112 of the Thai criminal code, which states that defamatory, insulting or threatening comments about the king, queen and regent are punishable by three to 15 years in prison. Since the coup of 2006, cases of lese-majesty have been skyrocketing. And recently the law has been extended to cover the protection of past kings, other members of the royal family, and, now, a once stray dog.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/16/thai-pm-i-will-punish-those-who-threatened-human-trafficking-whistleblower">Thai PM: I will punish those who threatened human trafficking whistleblower</a> </p><p>Thailand is currently a kingless nation being operated by a military that uses the lèse-majesté law to protect itself</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global/commentisfree/2015/dec/17/thailand-royal-dog-prosecution">Continue reading...</a>ThailandAsia PacificWorld newsThu, 17 Dec 2015 16:00:49 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global/commentisfree/2015/dec/17/thailand-royal-dog-prosecutionPhotograph: Ho New / Reuters/ReutersPhotograph: Ho New / Reuters/ReutersPavin Chachavalpongpun2015-12-17T16:00:49ZThe Rohingya crisis is not an isolated tragedy – it’s the shape of things to come | Tahmima Anamhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/19/rohingya-andaman-sea-refugees-migration
With sea levels rising around the world, the refugees adrift in the Andaman Sea are the heralds of a future age of migration<p>In 1971 <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/dec/12/ravi-shankar-music-world-apart-hippy-culture" title="">Ravi Shankar</a> and George Harrison organised <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EJvizCVEyc" title="">a concert in New York City’s Madison Square Gardens</a> to fund relief efforts for war-torn Bangladesh. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Concert-Bangla-Desh-George-Harrison/dp/B00000DRAN" title="">The album</a> featured the image of a starving child on the cover, which became a symbol of an impoverished country emerging out of the rubble of war. Forty-four years later, another image is now associated with Bangladesh: that of the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/12/fears-up-to-6000-south-east-asian-boat-people-are-abandoned-at-sea" title="">abandoned refugees</a> who float on the Andaman Sea with no hope of rescue.</p><p>We’ve all seen <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2015/may/18/rohingya-refugees-recover-in-indonesian-camp-in-pictures" title="">the photographs of these refugees</a>. We’ve seen them hanging their emaciated limbs off the sides of their boats. We’ve seen the scars on their backs,earned in fights over scarce food and water. We’ve read their harrowing stories of their being abandoned at sea, rejected by one government after another.</p><p>The time has come for us to take a global view on migrants</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/19/rohingya-andaman-sea-refugees-migration">Continue reading...</a>RefugeesMigrationBangladeshSouth and Central AsiaThailandAsia PacificWorld newsTue, 19 May 2015 14:01:34 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/19/rohingya-andaman-sea-refugees-migrationPhotograph: Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty ImagesBoats carrying thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been abandoned in the Andaman sea. Photograph: Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty ImagesBoats carrying thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been abandoned in the Andaman sea. Photograph: Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty ImagesTahmima Anam2015-05-19T14:01:34ZCommercial surrogacy is a rigged market in wombs for rent | Julie Bindelhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/20/commercial-surrogacy-wombs-rent-same-sex-pregnancy
Yes, same-sex surrogacy bans are wrong – but as a human rights campaigner I want to see a serious discussion about the ethics of outsourcing pregnancy<p>Since the disgraceful <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jan/20/baby-gammy-born-into-thai-surrogacy-scandal-granted-australian-citizenship" title="">Baby Gammy case</a> last year, in which an Australian couple left a twin boy with his birth mother when it was discovered he had Down’s syndrome, Thailand <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/20/thailand-bans-commercial-surrogacy" title="">has banned</a> foreigners and same-sex couples from accessing surrogacy services. Now only married heterosexuals are allowed to use surrogates, with at least one of the couple required to be Thai. No one is allowed to gain financially from the transaction.</p><p>But will this shift in legislation put an end to the inherent abuse in what can be described as womb trafficking? I doubt it. In order to put a stop to this increasingly normalised practice, we need to understand the reality of what surrogacy entails.</p><p>The social acceptance of this practice will perpetuate the notion that the wombs of poor women can be used as a service</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/20/commercial-surrogacy-wombs-rent-same-sex-pregnancy">Continue reading...</a>SurrogacyThailandParents and parentingLife and styleLGBT rightsWorld newsAsia PacificIndiaFri, 20 Feb 2015 14:31:27 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/20/commercial-surrogacy-wombs-rent-same-sex-pregnancyPhotograph: Katie Collins/PA‘Although the poster girl of surrogates is typically a white, blond, smiling women who is carrying a baby in order to make a childless couple happy, the truth is far less palatable.' Photograph: Katie Collins/PAPhotograph: Katie Collins/PA‘Although the poster girl of surrogates is typically a white, blond, smiling women who is carrying a baby in order to make a childless couple happy, the truth is far less palatable.' Photograph: Katie Collins/PAJulie Bindel2015-02-20T14:31:27ZThe Guardian view on military rule in Thailand | Editorialhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/19/guardian-view-military-rule-thailand
Thailand’s generals have failed: it is time that democracy, in spite of its problems, is restored<p>Thai political life after last year’s military takeover hovers somewhere between farce and tragedy. Farce, when the government had to hurriedly delete a scene showing<a href="http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/thai-junta-to-remove-controversial-hitler-scene-from-propaganda-film-1.2141085#" title=""> a schoolboy painting a picture of Hitler </a>in a film promoting prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s “12 core values”, a list of duties and responsibilities vaguely reminiscent of Vichy France’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travail,_famille,_patrie" title="">“travail, famille, patrie”. </a></p><p>Incompetence, sabotage, or what: who knows? It was farcical, too, when a prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, who had already been forced out, was solemnly impeached by an assembly that did not have the power to impeach. Even if it had, nobody could explain how impeachment, a method of removing a leader from office, could apply to one who had already departed. But such constitutional illiteracy is an everyday phenomenon in the generals’ Thailand. Farce, again, but darker, when critics are “invited” to army installations for “attitude adjustment” sessions. Farce, shading into persecution, when opponents are tried in military courts with no right of appeal or <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/10/world/asia/thailand-junta-drowning-the-opposition-in-paperwork.html" title="">forced to sign documents that allow the seizure of their assets </a>if they engage in political activity, or pursued on corruption charges when similar allegations against the junta’s supporters are neglected.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/19/guardian-view-military-rule-thailand">Continue reading...</a>ThailandAsia PacificWorld newsThaksin ShinawatraThu, 19 Feb 2015 19:54:19 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/19/guardian-view-military-rule-thailandPhotograph: Chaiwat Subprasom/REUTERSThailand's attorney director general, Chutichai Sakhakorn (L) and director general, Surasak Threerattrakul leave a news conference in Bangkok on 19 February after Sakhakorn filed charges to the supreme court against deposed prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Photograph: Chaiwat Subprasom/ReutersPhotograph: Chaiwat Subprasom/REUTERSThailand's attorney director general, Chutichai Sakhakorn (L) and director general, Surasak Threerattrakul leave a news conference in Bangkok on 19 February after Sakhakorn filed charges to the supreme court against deposed prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Photograph: Chaiwat Subprasom/ReutersEditorial2015-02-19T19:54:19ZHow I got to know my mum in a Bangkok sex hotel | Rhik Samadderhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/23/how-got-to-know-mum-bangkok-sex-hotel-christmas
<p>Condoms on the pillows and a see-through toilet door might not sound promising. But that Christmas my mum and I finally learned how to communicate</p><p>Christmas morning, 2010. I’m in bed with my mother in a Thai sex hotel. It is my 30th birthday. How have things got so out of hand?</p><p>To wind back a little, I hadn’t been looking forward to a third decade. My father had died three years before, and I’d responded with great resourcefulness, by having a comprehensive breakdown, ending a nurturing relationship and moving back home. I couldn’t work, or go out, and didn’t want to be seen. A life shrunk to four small walls was all that seemed manageable. I was watching The Lion King a lot, and doing all the voices.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/23/how-got-to-know-mum-bangkok-sex-hotel-christmas">Continue reading...</a>ChristmasThailandAsia PacificWorld newsAustralia newsDepressionSocietyTue, 23 Dec 2014 13:00:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/23/how-got-to-know-mum-bangkok-sex-hotel-christmasPhotograph: Rhik SamadderRhik Samadder and his mum on their world trip. 'Sometimes we have to force ourselves to not shut out the people we love, because they’re all that keeps us here.'Photograph: Rhik SamadderRhik Samadder and his mum on their world trip. 'Sometimes we have to force ourselves to not shut out the people we love, because they’re all that keeps us here.'Rhik Samadder2014-12-23T13:00:04ZDemocracy and the rule of law must be restored to Thailand | Verapat Pariyawonghttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/21/democracy-rule-law-thailand-murders-britons
The murders of two Britons have focused international attention on a broken justice system with which Thais are all too familiar<p>&nbsp;It has been two months since the brutal <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/15/british-tourists-murdered-thailand-koh-tao" title="">murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller</a> on the Thai island of Koh Tao. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/11/thailand-murders-hannah-witheridge-david-miller-police-say-concrete-evidence-links-burmese-suspects" title="">The Thai authorities’ handling of the case</a> has caused additional heartbreak for the victims’ families and damaged Thailand’s reputation as a tourist destination. It has also exposed the brutality of the country’s flawed justice system.</p><p>The beginning was awful enough. Two young Britons on the holiday of their dreams went out to the beach one evening and never came back. Two days later, the head of Thailand’s military regime, who had taken power in a May 2014 coup, responded insensitively by <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/18/thai-prime-minister-apologises-bikini-comments-murder" title="">advising female tourists not to wear bikinis</a> on the beach in order to stay safe.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/21/democracy-rule-law-thailand-murders-britons">Continue reading...</a>ThailandAsia PacificHuman rightsLawFri, 21 Nov 2014 13:06:55 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/21/democracy-rule-law-thailand-murders-britonsPhotograph: Bangkok Post / Barcroft MediaThe two Burmese workers, pictured, who have been accused of murdering Witheridge and Miller 'have told the Guardian they are innocent' and asked for the help of the victims' families. Photograph: Bangkok Post / Barcroft MediaPhotograph: Bangkok Post / Barcroft MediaThe two Burmese workers, pictured, who have been accused of murdering Witheridge and Miller 'have told the Guardian they are innocent' and asked for the help of the victims' families. Photograph: Bangkok Post / Barcroft MediaVerapat Pariyawong2014-11-21T13:06:55ZIn praise of… Andy Hall | Editorialhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/02/in-praise-of-andy-hall-trial-thailand-labour-abuses
<p>Thailand should be embarrassed that its courts are being used to prosecute a British researcher for alleging abuse of migrant workers in its food industry</p><p>Andy Hall is an academic and migration researcher from Lincolnshire, who has been working in Thailand for 10 years. A fluent Thai speaker, in 2012 he interviewed workers at the Natural Fruit pineapple factory in southern Thailand for an NGO <a href="http://finnwatch.org/en/news/205-finnwatch-researcher%E2%80%99s-trial-begins-in-bangkok-on-2nd-sept,-european-buyers-warn-thai-food-industry-of-consequences" title="">that monitors Finnish companies in developing countries.</a> His report, Cheap Has a High Price, itemised <a href="http://www.labourstartcampaigns.net/show_campaign.cgi?c=2467" title="">abuses including child labour, very low pay, long hours</a> and confiscated ID documents, many of which were upheld by a government inquiry. Yet on Tuesday his trial began on <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/01/british-activist-andy-hall-thailand-defamation-trial" title="">criminal defamation charges that could result in long prison sentences</a>, with the risk of multimillion-dollar fines on civil charges that, campaigners say, are being brought under new laws intended to clamp down on freedom of expression. The Thai government should be embarrassed that its courts are being used to prosecute Mr Hall. And it should be grateful for his work to expose wrongdoing.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/02/in-praise-of-andy-hall-trial-thailand-labour-abuses">Continue reading...</a>Child labourDefamation lawThailandMigration and developmentAsia PacificWorld newsLawFood & drink industryBusinessTue, 02 Sep 2014 19:04:50 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/02/in-praise-of-andy-hall-trial-thailand-labour-abusesPhotograph: Athit Perawongmetha/ReutersAndy Hall surrounded by supporters as he arrives for his trial in Bangkok on 2 September 2014. Photograph: Athit Perawongmetha/ReutersPhotograph: Athit Perawongmetha/ReutersAndy Hall surrounded by supporters as he arrives for his trial in Bangkok on 2 September 2014. Photograph: Athit Perawongmetha/ReutersEditorial2014-09-02T19:04:50ZForeign fighters tell us a different story from the trenches | David Olusogahttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/23/neglected-figures-of-past-deserve-memorial-too
We should recognise the role of non-European troops in the First World War<p>Last week, ceremonies were held in Tanzania and Kenya to mark the anniversary of the moment in 1914 when German forces marched into British Kenya, the only German invasion of British territory during the First World War. The government of Tanzania explained that the centenary of the Great War, in which Tanzania, then the colony of German East Africa, was an important battlefield, offers Tanzanians an opportunity to ensure that the "country's role and sacrifice during the First World War is remembered".</p><p>In the same week, in Britain, the <a href="http://ensuringweremember.org.uk/" title="">Ensuring We Remember</a> group ramped up its campaign for the creation of a permanent memorial to the 100,000 men of the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/14/first-world-war-forgotten-chinese-labour-corps-memorial" title="">Chinese Labour Corps</a>, who served with the British army during the conflict, thousands of them killed by enemy fire, accidents or Spanish flu.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/23/neglected-figures-of-past-deserve-memorial-too">Continue reading...</a>First world warWorld newsTanzaniaUK newsEuropeThailandBritish armySat, 23 Aug 2014 17:29:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/23/neglected-figures-of-past-deserve-memorial-tooPhotograph: HultonIndian infantrymen on the march in France in October 1914. Photograph: HultonPhotograph: HultonIndian infantrymen on the march in France in October 1914. Photograph: HultonDavid Olusoga2014-08-23T17:29:00ZSurrogacy is still available to paedophiles. This must change – but how? | Richard Acklandhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/15/surrogacy-is-still-available-to-paedophiles-this-must-change-but-how
<p>Australian offenders can become the parent of a child by extra-jurisdictional surrogacy, flying under the radar of suitability tests. A national debate is needed</p><p>As the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2014/aug/11/baby-gammy-parents-wanted-money-back-video">baby Gammy story hit the headlines</a>, Australians suddenly realised that a person with 22 child sex convictions, including unlawful and indecent dealing with girls as young as seven years old, can have a baby girl by surrogacy – and the law is silent. </p><p>So what can be done about it? One way of making children safe would be to licence intending parents. A great government agency handing out permissions for people to have children would be just the ticket.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/15/surrogacy-is-still-available-to-paedophiles-this-must-change-but-how">Continue reading...</a>Australia newsAustralian politicsLawParents and parentingChildrenAdoptionThailandFri, 15 Aug 2014 01:00:36 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/15/surrogacy-is-still-available-to-paedophiles-this-must-change-but-howPhotograph: Handout/Getty ImagesThai surrogate mother Pattaramon Chanbua poses with baby Gammy. Photograph: Handout/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Handout/Getty ImagesThai surrogate mother Pattaramon Chanbua poses with baby Gammy. Photograph: Handout/Getty ImagesRichard Ackland2014-08-15T01:00:36ZI’ve got a word for Scrabble champions: mathematicians | Stephen Mosshttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/06/scrabble-mathematicans-te-game-language
So TE has made it into the Scrabble dictionary. It adds weight to the theory that love of language is a hindrance in this game<p>The world of Scrabble is AGOG (score 24 if you managed to got one of the Gs on a double-letter score and the whole word on a triple-word score; give up if you’ve used it without the multipliers). The <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/05/scrabble-dictionary-selfie-te-bromance" title="">word TE has just been added</a> to the revised edition of the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary. For Scrabble addicts, this is the HOLY (H on a triple-letter square to score 18, of course) grail. “Being able to hook an E underneath T means that I can play far more words,” says Robin Pollock Daniel, a Canadian Scrabble expert. “I call those the amino acids of Scrabble. The more two-letter words we have, the more possibilities a word will fit.”</p><p>TE, as you will know, is a variant of TI, the seventh tone on the musical scale. It joins AA, AG, AI, AL, EL, ES, FY, KI, KO, KY, MI, MM, MU, NU, OE, PE, XI, XU, YU and ZA on the approved list, although you could go through several lifetimes and never hear this motley collection of abbreviations, archaisms and Greek and Hebrew letters in everyday speech. These may be the amino acids of the quasi-professional Scrabble player’s tragically circumscribed life, but they are not real words. Can you <a href="http://www.wineverygame.com/scrabble-word-list-twoletters.php" title="">define</a> a single one of them?</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/06/scrabble-mathematicans-te-game-language">Continue reading...</a>LanguageThailandBoard gamesScienceMathematicsAsia PacificLife and styleWorld newsWed, 06 Aug 2014 16:59:50 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/06/scrabble-mathematicans-te-game-languagePhotograph: Frank Baron/Guardian'If only this game was scored on artistic impression…' Stephen Moss takes a pasting from Scrabble champ Wayne Kelly. Photograph: Frank Baron for the GuardianPhotograph: Frank Baron/Guardian'If only this game was scored on artistic impression…' Stephen Moss takes a pasting from Scrabble champ Wayne Kelly. Photograph: Frank Baron for the GuardianStephen Moss2014-08-06T16:59:50ZThe case of baby Gammy shows surrogacy for the repulsive trade it is | Suzanne Moorehttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/04/baby-gammy-thailand-surrogacy-repulsive-trade-pattaramon-chanbua
Pattaramon Chanbua is another victim of this twisted version of slavery, in which poor women are disposable receptacles for the privileged<br /><p>At the age of 21 Pattaramon Chanbua already has two children, aged six and three. She works on a food stall in a small seaside town south-east of Bangkok. It is an extremely hard existence. When <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/03/surrogacy-australia-ban-thailand-downs-syndrome-gammy" title="">offered A$16,000 (£9,000) to become a surrogate mother</a> for an Australian couple she saw a way out: “The money that was offered was a lot for me. In my mind, with that money, one, we can educate my children; two, we can repay our debt.”</p><p>We only know about her because of a baby boy called Gammy, one of the twins she gave birth to seven months ago. Gammy has Down’s syndrome and a congenital heart condition, and according to Chanbua, the Australian parents took Gammy’s twin sister but left him. The outrage this has provoked has resulted in <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/03/surrogacy-australia-ban-thailand-downs-syndrome-gammy" title="">donations being made online to fund medical care for Gammy</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/04/baby-gammy-thailand-surrogacy-repulsive-trade-pattaramon-chanbua">Continue reading...</a>SurrogacyWomenPregnancyParents and parentingAustralia newsAsia PacificThailandIndiaLife and styleWorld newsMon, 04 Aug 2014 12:07:25 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/04/baby-gammy-thailand-surrogacy-repulsive-trade-pattaramon-chanbuaPhotograph: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty ImagesPattaramon Chanbua with baby Gammy. 'Many couples travel to Thailand for IVF and surrogacy, which the authorities are now saying is illegal but has clearly been thriving.' Photograph: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty ImagesPattaramon Chanbua with baby Gammy. 'Many couples travel to Thailand for IVF and surrogacy, which the authorities are now saying is illegal but has clearly been thriving.' Photograph: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty ImagesSuzanne Moore2014-08-04T12:07:25Z